Steam causing spots?

[mookien]

I only use purified water in my iron due to the possibility of scale or build-up. ... I did use a press cloth, by the way. I think the heat brought out something in the wool itself. Thanks for the input, I was at a loss.

If by "purified" you mean "filtered", then that is insufficient to eliminate minerals in the water that may cause discoloration on/of the wool. If that is the case, try "distilled" water which does not contain any minerals. But, in any case, good luck.

[Dixiecat]

If by "purified" you mean "filtered", then that is insufficient to eliminate minerals in the water that may cause discoloration on/of the wool. If that is the case, try "distilled" water which does not contain any minerals. But, in any case, good luck.

It's a common misconception that distilled water is better than ordinary water. You are correct that distilled H2O does not contain minerals but because of that distilled water acts like an acid when in contact with metals. It will leach minerals out of the metal. I would never use distilled water in any iron as it will shorten the life of the iron. In fact, Rowenta issues a warning against using distilled water in their irons.

Ordinary bottled water low in calcium, manganese, iron, etc. is best.

[tulloch]

It's a common misconception that distilled water is better than ordinary water. You are correct that distilled H2O does not contain minerals but because of that distilled water acts like an acid when in contact with metals. It will leach minerals out of the metal. I would never use distilled water in any iron as it will shorten the life of the iron. In fact, Rowenta issues a warning against using distilled water in their irons.

Ordinary bottled water low in calcium, manganese, iron, etc. is best.

Again, it is amazing what I learn here on this forum. Thanks for that info.

[hkjrb623]

A couple of people on here have mentioned washing the kilt? I thought you couldn't safely wash a wool kilt. I think a good cleaning would fix the problem. Is wash even a real option? I've only dry cleaned wool kilts.

[creagdhubh]

It's a common misconception that distilled water is better than ordinary water. You are correct that distilled H2O does not contain minerals but because of that distilled water acts like an acid when in contact with metals. It will leach minerals out of the metal. I would never use distilled water in any iron as it will shorten the life of the iron. In fact, Rowenta issues a warning against using distilled water in their irons.

Ordinary bottled water low in calcium, manganese, iron, etc. is best.

Exactly! I just purchased the Rowenta Professional iron, and I used it for the first time a few days okay when pressing the pleats in one of my kilts - it worked brilliantly with great ease! Rowenta's instructions were quite simple and straightforward and included the point of not using distilled water in their irons, as they are designed to be used with tap water. If Rowenta (Rowenta offers the best irons in my opinion!) is saying this, then it must be quite alright to use tap water - not sure if bottled water would be okay to use with my new iron?

Oh, and I always use a pressing cloth - a lightweight, white version made of cotton.

Cheers,